Salvation's Anger I: Roots Of War
by ChaosChampion
Summary: When an ancient army has the Sailor Scouts in its sights and the people of Nemesis plot their revenge, what can be said or done to uproot the Roots Of War?
1. Army Of Shadows

Far below the city of Tokyo, in an opulent neoclassical chamber, a conspiracy brewed. A gathering of the most powerful men in the world- politicians, journalists, generals, businessmen, and members of wealthy families-waited on the arrival of arguably the most powerful man in the world. Tension ran high as this concentration of power discussed within its ranks how each of them would fit into the new world order that their enigmatic host planned to create. Would any of them obtain membership from the new government? Might some of them rise to be governors, parliamentarians, or even heads of state? What would the regulations concerning business and corruption be?  
  
Amidst this tension, two men strode confidently through the elaborately decorated door to the left of the assembly. The one out in front, a dark- haired man who was the taller of the two, wore black denim pants, motorcycle boots and gloves, a white T-shirt, a well-worn leather jacket, and retro sunglasses. The assembly looked at him with a mixture of shock and revulsion, and it appeared he returned the favor. The other man, a dark-haired, dark-eyed, well-muscled man sporting a well-trimmed mustache, was clad in a blue army officer's uniform complete with officer's cap, the rank pips of a general, and a jacket weighted down with all the military medals it bore. He held himself with dignity and poise, and it showed in the reaction of the audience towards him. They made their way to the stage, which only added to the shock when the man in black took his place at the Commander-In-Chief's Podium. If this commoner was the leader of the mysterious conspiracy, then who was the other, better-dressed man behind him?  
  
This question was laid to rest when the man in the leather jacket spoke in his rich, Southern-accented baritone: "Howdy, y'all!! I'm Jim McAllister, Commander-In-Chief of the Terran Homeworld Defense League, and this here is Vladimir Oumorov-Minarovich, head of our SpecOps Division and my loyal second-in-command."  
  
"As you are well aware, you have been gathered here today to discuss our organization and your place in it," Vladimir added in a clipped, Russian- accented bass.  
  
"At its inception, our organization's sole purpose for existence lay in its challengin' the forces of magic that loom above us every day without our knowledge; however, as of late, we have also devoted ourselves to the inception of a new world order based on peace, justice, and lovin' your fella man," McAllister beamed, smiling widely. His audience winced at the last bit of what he had said; that sort of talk had never, in their experience, led anywhere but name-calling and socialism.  
  
"But I've had enough of this bantering; let us get down to the business at hand," Vladimir suggested, setting himself at ease.  
  
"Very well, then, here we go! We have fought many wars in the name of an unknowing and ungrateful humanity, but this here one shall be the war to end all wars!! Never before in our long and checkered history have we encountered an enemy that was so determined!!" McAllister declared, shouting at the top of his lungs and accentuating his last word by pumping his right fist in the air. "Summon the spycam unit linked to the shared dormitory of Usagi Tsukino & Minako Aino at Azabu Juuban Community College," Vladimir ordered, making a shooing motion as if to tell McAllister to be quiet, much to McAllister's chagrin. A small floating camera appeared and displayed a picture of a dorm room whose in habitants were two fairly short, but highly attractive, blond girls talking to one another about the trials and tribulations of postgraduate life; one of them wore blue jeans, a red sweater, and laceless Sketchers sneakers and letting her straight, golden-blond hair run down to her shoulders, while he other wore black leather pants, a tight blue T-shirt, and boat shoes and wore her hair in a style that was basically a bun on each side of her head with a pigtail running down from each to her knees. The thought of these two ordinary girls being the biggest threat the THDL could come up with was so incongruous that one of the delegates made the stupid mistake of shooting his mouth off: "I don't know about the rest of us, but the only way I can see those two being a threat is if your organization is entirely made up of fraternity brothers!!"  
  
That comment didn't sit well with McAllister; he drew a Colt revolver out of a hidden jacket pocket and, moving faster that the brain could process, located the smart-ass in the audience and delivered a fatal shot to his head. "Does anybody else feel like makin' light out of the grave danger that those girls pose to our way of life?!?" McAllister shrieked, pointing the revolver at a random member of the audience. Now fearing for their own lives, and also stunned at how quickly the affable Southerner who led the THDL could become violent so quickly, the audience was dead silent. Seeing that no one else had any smart remarks to make, McAllister stored his revolver as quickly as he had drawn it. "Now, as I was about to say, I have upon my person incontestable proof that those two girls are Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus!!" McAllister grinned, reaching for something- probably said evidence-in a different pocket. He pulled out an official- looking document and an ancient sheet of papyrus on which there was writing of some sort. "In this document, I have genetic proof that the odds of my claims not bein' true are 20 billion to one!!! Any skeptics in the audience are free to come up and see the evidence firsthand.but first, Vladimir shall read y'all a primary document from the misty past!!" This stunned the audience; maybe the man wasn't a quack after all!!  
  
Jim handed Vladimir the papyrus, and he began to read off of it: "7 Jul 1493, Moon Kingdom Reckoning: The war between the Negaverse and the Moon Kingdom has been an unmitigated disaster. In alliance with the rapacious, plundering armies of Nemesis, the Negaverse has broken though the defensive perimeter around the inner part of the Sol system and seized Phobos and Deimos, which are being used as staging points for assaults on Terra and Luna. We are setting up another defensive perimeter around them, but we've been totally unprepared since the beginning of this war and have only gotten worse since then. I fear for how this war will turn out: that our children's children shall know nothing but slavery to the whim of Beryl and her traitor generals, that death, if they ever let it come to us, will be a blessing, that our handsomest sons and most radiant daughters shall be forced to serve the lewd desires of our enemies.  
  
But I think too hard on this: of course we shall be victorious, for my line has ruled for 300 years and has seen the Kingdom though more resolute foes than this.Oh, no!!! The Negaverse's forces have broken into the palace!! If I fail to do something soon, the galaxy shall be lost to evil forever!!! I shall send the princes & princesses of the planets of the Sol System into the year 2493 and use whatever power I have left to lock Beryl and her legions back into their own realm for 1,000 years!! This shall almost certainly cost me my life and destroy the kingdom my forefathers put their blood, sweat, and tears into building, but it's the only way that goodness shall be preserved in this universe!! I bid you an eternal farewell!!!" The audience, moved beyond words at what they were hearing and Vladimir's impassioned deliverance of it, began to weep softly for the passing of the Moon Kingdom. One of them, however, was able to speak clearly through her tears: "So what you're saying is that the Sailor Scouts will try and reestablish the Moon Kingdom which fell so long ago??" "Ding-ding-ding!! We have a winner!!" McAllister smirked.  
  
"But from what little you've told us, the Moon Kingdom seemed to be a benevolent government, full of caring for its people! Why are you trying to keep that from happening again??" she pleaded, sobbing for effect.  
  
"I appreciate your sentiments, and the Moon Kingdom of yesteryear was indeed kind and benevolent. But let me tell you somethin': it was a monarchy, which basically made it a one-man show, and in this day and age, the consent of the governed is a much stronger meme than the divine right of kings-or queens, as the case may go. Faced with such strong dissent, and sure that it will fall if it permits it, wouldn't the Moon Kingdom be forced to crack down in the name of stability? That's why I oppose the rise of any totalitarian government, however benevolent it may try to be," McAllister countered, obviously believing what he was saying.  
  
"I see," the woman replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "and I appreciate freedom as much as you do, Gen. McAllister, but what the rise of this Kingdom offers-peace and tranquility-cannot be discounted so easily. Besides, the legends I have heard of the Kingdom say that its rise is written in the stars! In all likelihood, attempting to resist it will only result in disgrace and defeat for you!!"  
  
"And I oughn't even to try to fight the good fight for freedom and liberty on account of the odds are ag'inst me?? This whole organization was founded on precisely the principles of noble resistance and defense of freedom at all costs which I now defend!!"  
  
"I assume this "freedom" you speak of refers to democracy. Well, let me inform you, Mr. McAllister, that the Japanese people did not see their greatest days as a democracy, but as an empire! And furthermore, your nation has not been entirely true to its principles, either!!"  
  
"First off, America is not a democracy; it is a republic, so please get the terminology right! Secondly, this is not a conflict of nation against nation; it is an all-out war between those of all nations who believe that freedom and justice are the best way, if not the only way, to achieve the peace and stability that you so value and those of all lands who believe that the ends justify the means! Now, I must ask you: which side are you on??"  
  
Perfect!!, Vladimir thought to himself. He's trapped her between the rock of being the malefactor and the hard place of abandoning her fight!! I shall have all the funding I could possibly need!  
  
Vladimir was not the only one who knew the woman was defeated; she herself seemed to recognize this fact, as did McAllister's spellbound audience. Donations came forth, grudgingly at first, but, over the course of 30 minutes, growing more liberal and more sizable. By the end of the night, $170 billion had gone into the war chest of the League.  
  
"Well, then, I suppose that's all that needs to be said!! Thank you and good night!" McAllister concluded, stepping off of the stage.  
  
The next morning, Jim and Vladimir discussed last night's meeting. "All in all, I must say I was.impressed," Vladimir stated pensively, smiling weakly. "However, you almost lost our audience, along with their money, at several points-most notably when you shot one of them in the head," Vladimir criticized, sighing annoyedly. "I done got our money, di'n't I?" Jim argued, obviously annoyed at having last night's incident brought up. Vladimir sighed heavily. Just keep our support flowing, imbecile, and then, in your moment of glory, your most trusted officer will be there-to shoot you down in the name of a new order which will last the test of time!!, he thought to himself. "Well, I must be going now; I have a very important conference to make," Vladimir ended, getting up as he spoke.  
  
A few minutes later, Vladimir arrived in the same conference hall where his superior had spoken the other night; however, instead of throngs of people, there was only one other person in the entire room-a fair-skinned, radiant woman who appeared to be around 25. White-blond hair cascaded down to her waist, while her gray eyes seemed to pierce right into Vladimir's soul; the violet dress she wore clung to her, and her matching high heels were propped up-she was obviously quite relaxed. Vladimir, however, felt a lump rise in his throat, which was a new sensation for him. Here, every month, he was to report the doings of himself and a coterie of officers who believed that McAllister's leadership, though well intentioned, was hopelessly behind the times and hoped, with support from Nemesis, to install more decisive leadership. If McAllister ever found out, he'd brand the officers as traitors-but what did Vladimir care for the opinion of that moronic rube anyhow? He braced himself for the report and the berating he knew would follow.  
  
"Here, Princess Krystallia, Queen of Darkness and One True Lady of Nemesis, is my report," Vladimir began, standing at attention. Krystallia eyed him, waiting patiently. "McAllister has been in the middle of a campaign to raise funds for the League by bringing the powerful interests of the world over to our side," he continued.  
  
"Was it successful?" Krystallia asked, her right hand supporting her head as if she were tired and would rather be elsewhere.  
  
"Yes, he has raised well over $100 billion, and I have been able to direct over 20% of that into SpecOps, where I have enjoyed much recent success in gaining converts to our cause," Vladimir beamed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of her being pleased.  
  
However, he was severely disappointed: "Why are we gaining new converts at a snail's pace among the regulars in the army and navy??" Krystallia growled, clenching her perfectly manicured left hand into a fist.  
  
"I apologize, Madame; McAllister himself was an army corporal before his accession into our halls of leadership. Besides, with all the elite forces lining up behind us, the regulars will be cut down before anyone figures anything out," Vladimir responded, smashing his right fist into his left palm for effect.  
  
"You'd best be right-for both our sakes," Krystallia sighed, left fist pressed against her forehead as if in pain.  
  
"What are your orders, mistress??" Vladimir purred, kneeling on his right knee.  
  
"Tell McAllister he should order immediate attacks on the Sailor Scouts of Azabu Juuban, as they are the only ones to have fought Nemesis and won; however, as control over the League slowly slips from him and accumulates in your lap, concentrate less on killing the Scouts and more on torturing them. This will serve to ruin the League's reputation, thereby nullifying the possibility that any new League Administration formed by revolution against you will be a nexus of popular resistance," Krystallia explained, rushing through in order to be done with Vladimir.  
  
"But what happens if someone finds out about our plans and a secret society within our secret society, but with a command structure completely independent of it??" Vladimir noted, resting his chin on his hand.  
  
"Then you must simply be careful with choosing whom you trust," Krystallia replied fluidly. 


	2. Rumblings Of The Storm

It was an ordinary spring day in Tokyo, far above the meeting place of the League. Usagi and Minako had finals coming up, so they had to study, study, and study some more. Ami Mizuno, as usual, had prepared for the highly difficult Tokyo U finals a long time in advance, so she was relaxing for once in her life. Makoto Kino and Haruka Ten'oh went through yet another tiresome day of training in the Japanese Self-Defense Force, while Michiru Kai'oh practiced intensely for her violin solo at the Tokyo Conservatory. Rei Hino ran a fire reading and felt vague premonitions of some trouble, some new evil, but the readings were so weak that she was confident that this was nothing that her loyal allies, the Sailor Senshi, could not handle. Unbeknownst to any of them, a small, secretive cabal watched all this through the spycam network that they had put up.  
  
Far above the underground fortress that had served as the headquarters of the League ever since the disastrous 23rd Battle of Dalton, the newly established Revolutionary Knights of Azabu Juuban, the League's cell in that area, observed their targets' every move, collecting data at a breakneck pace for their leadership. At the moment, its leader, C.R. Rhodes, watched all this with a hawk's eye. Rhodes was a veritable pale scarecrow of a man, with a wild, ill-kempt mane and unruly beard, and did not seem to be a very impressive man in his tie-dye shirt, ripped jeans, and leather sandals. However, behind that unruly appearance hid McAllister's most trusted agent and probable heir to the League leadership- and when one received the endorsement of the likes of McAllister, the chair of state was yours for the asking. As Rhodes watched the screens intensely, a Japanese woman in a silver-and-gold kimono, slight even by her culture's standards, entered the room.  
  
Oh, shit!!!, Rhodes thought to himself. He recognized the woman on sight as Suki, a League agent rumored to be an experienced assassin/courier in the employ of SpecOps-which, Rhodes knew, probably meant trouble for him, since he was an army regular. Nevertheless, Rhodes did his best to remain calm, speaking in his cool, controlled Cockney accent: "Good day, Suki. What is it that you were sent to report to me???"  
  
"I arrive with orders directly from Vladimir," Suki stated coolly, as if she were simply reporting some insignificant piece of gossip instead of orders that could lead to massive death and destruction.  
  
"I.see, Suki, I see. Would these orders concern the Sailor Scouts??" Rhodes inquired; though he already knew the answer, he still quivered at the thought of how SpecOps might want those orders carried out.  
  
"Of course, you blithering imbecile!! Here is the document that SpecOps has prepared concerning the methods that you shall deal with the Sailor Scouts," Suki continued, noting Rhodes's discomfort as he perused the report. He shuddered suddenly, probably at the thought of one of SpecOps's "suggestions" on how to deal with the Sailor Scouts-not that it would have shaken her. Suddenly, Rhodes put down the papers and made quite clear his feelings about his orders: "I don't like this.not one bit."  
  
Suki felt a wave of disgust wash over her at the notion of a soldier factoring in his own emotions into his battle plan and walked out in a huff. I'll tell Daddy about this one for sure, Suki thought to herself. And after he hears about this, there'll not be enough of Rhodes for what few friends he has to bury!!  
  
Meanwhile, Rhodes had grown fearful over that fit of pique, knowing that he'd be in trouble with SpecOps if she told. He had tried time and again to tell McAllister that his authority would begin slipping away because of the powers Vladimir had convinced him to give to SpecOps. McAllister, however, because of Vladimir and his lies, would not listen, and SpecOps had come to dominate the League, much to Rhodes's chagrin. Thanks to that bastard of a second-in-command, SpecOps now had the authority to keep most of its operations totally secret, to execute any individual they deemed a threat, and to ignore all rules of war and ethics without expecting any sort of punishment. The only thing that had kept them from executing McAllister and his allies was McAllister's massive popularity among the army regulars, who would be out of Vladimir's control if anything happened to Jim and SpecOps could be linked to it. Rhodes, however, rested assured that Vladimir had some sort of plan to ruin Jim in the eyes of his compatriots. But that was far off; right now, the priority was to undermine SpecOps's power on the ground.  
  
Rhodes perused the orders he had been given again. Once again, he was appalled at the twisted imagination that someone at SpecOps had to have. How else could someone have thought to have Sailor Uranus killed in a hit- and-run which had been made to look accidental, then rebuilt as a robot à la The Stepford Wives and programmed to kill her former lover, Sailor Neptune, and then have the same process done to Neptune with her and Uranus sent after Sailor Saturn, whom they had helped care for when she was but a wee one? This was the final straw; SpecOps would be stopped!! Luckily for those who, like Rhodes, resented SpecOps's growing might, there was a path of recourse.as the man who knocked at the door that instant knew quite well.  
  
The man was fairly tall and wore a three-piece suit, which made Rhodes a bit uncomfortable. He peered around the room from behind his glasses with those suspicious ocean-blue eyes, and then found that candlestick. He pulled it and a hidden door emerged, which led to the hiding place/HQ of the conspiracy. Just then, a group of conspirators entered the open door; the last one, a young woman who appeared to be around 20, closed the door behind her.  
  
They all proceeded down the hallway and all sat down in the hidden room. Rhodes began the discussion: "G'day to all of you!!! I am C.R. Rhodes, the man who brought you all here today. Sorry for all the secrecy, but what with SpecOps practically runnin' the joint, it was a necessary precaution. We all know that we're here to do something about Vladimir, I know all of you, and all of you know me-but you don't all know each other, so why don't we introduce ourselves??"  
  
Just then, the man in the three-piece suit rose and introduced himself in a calm London accent: "I am Alan Evan Fairfield V, myself a former SpecOps agent and currently a major in the Gaean Cavaliers. I fight for honor, and find myself completely disgusted by that swine Vladimir. Here's to a freer tomorrow!!!"  
  
Then the others introduced themselves, but only one name stuck in Rhodes's mind: Naru Osaka. If Rhodes wasn't beginning to lose it, he could have sworn that that name had played a very important role in the League's past.and he had a feeling that it would do so again. He discreetly sized her up; she was attractive enough, if dressed a bit conservatively for his tastes in her gray sweater and black knee-length skirt. Her short, wavy brown hair looked slightly unkempt, and her ice-blue eyes glazed over from exhaustion, but she would be a nice catch even by Rhodes's high standards of women. Concentrate, man!!!, Rhodes thought to himself, snapping back to reality.  
  
"Vladimir has driven us to the wall with his damned influence over McAllister!! Because of him, SpecOps answers to nobody and we all live in fear!! But we all came here knowing that, so why don't you spring that surprise on us now, Mr. Rhodes?" Fairfield smirked, right hand running through his beard.  
  
"Of course, Fairfield, now is the perfect time. As Fairfield told us, Vladimir has been playing our leader for a fool and engendering an atmosphere of fear. He is, in short, a mealy-mouthed creep! But we have evidence here indicating that he is merely a front for an even bigger creep!! As of yet, we don't know who, but our sources indicate that the real target luxuriates somewhere in the confines of Nemesis. This confirms our worst fears, for we assumed that we had at least 50 years before Nemesis became a threat to he sovereignty of Earth, so activity not even 15 years after the death of Wiseman and the Doom Phantom forces us to speed up our timetable significantly. The worst-case scenario is a full-scale invasion of Earth.but I know that there are no hands that I would more readily entrust the fate of Earth to than yours." At this, the assembly cheered appreciatively, for Rhodes obviously spoke the truth in spite of doubts he had had about some members earlier.  
  
As the cheering came to a halt, Fairfield started to mention one very contentious issue: "Before we adjourn, we must settle once and for all the issue of cooperation with the forces of the Future Moon Kingdom. Thus far, we have maintained a policy of noninterference, as they engaged threats to Earth that would have killed scores of talented agents if we had had to handle them. On the other hand, the prophesied time of the Moon Kingdom's arrival grows no farther, and they will become a threat to Terran sovereignty sooner or later. We can no longer beat about the bush concerning this: are we their allies or their enemies?? All who favor a state of alliance with the Moon Kingdom, say aye!" "Aye!!!" came back the response of Naru Osaka and 14 other delegates.  
  
"All opposed, say nay!!"  
  
"Nay!!!" rang the voices of Fairfield and 14 other delegates.  
  
"My word, Rhodes, we've got ourselves a tie!! You know what that means: you must cast the deciding vote!!"  
  
Bloody 'ell!!, Rhodes mused. This is exactly what I didn't want to see happen!! We're going to lose a lot of allies by taking a clear stand on this issue. Is it worth it?? I could call a recess and avoid the issue yet again, but that's not what people expect from a bold leader!!  
  
OK, Rhodes, you've settled that you're going to decide this.but which way do I go?? I stand to gain allies in the Knights of Terra Antiqua and the Noble Defenders of the Planet if I vote aye, but I also risk upsetting the Alliance for Terran Sovereignty and the World Seekers of Enlightenment, and vice versa!! Fairfield, my mentor, voted nay, but that interesting Naru girl voted aye!  
  
Slow down, Rhodes!! You're even daring to mention your mentor's opinion and that of some random chick in the same breath?? Shame on you!! Well, I guess it's decided!!  
  
"Hurry up and decide already, Rhodes!! And for God's sake, don't call recess until after this issue is decided!!" Fairfield implored, hands clasped together as if in prayer.  
  
"I've come to a decision: the Alliance fully rejects any relation with the Moon Kingdom, excepting that of bitter enemies. Terran sovereignty now, Terran sovereignty tomorrow, Terran sovereignty forever!!!" Rhodes shrieked, going into a 21-gun salute on the last syllable of "forever." Fairfield smiled beatifically, while Naru glared at him with pure hatred in her eyes. That hurt Rhodes, but not as badly as Fairfield's disapproval would have.  
  
"This meeting is adjourned!! I see y'all within a month's time in this very same room!!" Rhodes concluded, wiping the sweat of stress off his brow.  
  
Fairfield walked away, a knowing smile on his face. Everything is going according to plan, Fairfield noted. The Cleansing of Humankind will not wait long!! The chain of events that I helped push along today will lead to a great deal of the Nemesians and Senshi gathering on Earth for a climactic battle of dark and light-making it quite convenient for wholesale eradication of their tainted legacy!! The Union for Terran Sovereignty is the perfect instrument through which to act-they will seek to establish themselves amongst the other factions, allowing me to justify anything to them through the fame gained from it!! If they fail, however, I'll have a few thermonuclear weapons to finish the job!! Then the Terran strain will be purified, and Humanity's true potential can be unlocked!!! 


	3. Gambit Of Darkness

In the underground League complex, McAllister lounged on a divan, waiting for the return of Alan Evan Fairfield V. The puppets of Magic thought they had gone undetected by the League, but little did they know how wrong they had been! Soon, Fairfield would bring home some valuable information about the would-be insurgents and help bring a close to their divisive underground movement. For the moment, however, there were some issues that needed to be brought up with Vladimir.  
  
"Vladimir, what do I do if the leader of the Movement should happen to be someone near and dear to me?" he asked nonchalantly, slung out on the couch.  
  
"Did you even need to ask, Commander? You would deal with him the same way you deal with any other enemy of the League," Vladimir laughed, punching his left fist into his right palm.  
  
"But I ain't entirely sure that we ain't done some things that might be reprehensible," McAllister drawled, slouching into the divan.  
  
Just as the discussion between Vladimir and Jim was about to become a circular argument, a tall, red-bearded Englishman in a three-piece suit entered the complex. Jim and Vladimir both knew precisely who that was: Alan Evan Fairfield V, sent to track the Movement and its top agents. Obviously, they were both eager to hear the information Fairfield had been able to glean.  
  
"So, Fairfield, what does this movement call itself?" Vladimir inquired, his right hand stroking his chin.  
  
"The rebels identify their group as the Free Terran Alliance," Fairfield replied, his face unemotional and his posture stiff.  
  
"I see. Where is their major base, to the best of your knowledge?" Vladimir continued, sighing impatiently.  
  
"Their main known base is in the Shinjuku city ward; knowledge of the exact location is impossible, however, due to their system of safehouses and never holding a meeting in the same location twice," Fairfield stated, hoping his lies were fooling Vladimir.  
  
"Very good. And who, pray tell, is their leader?" Vladimir concluded, studying Fairfield carefully for any sign that he was telling a falsehood or withholding information.  
  
"They are led by a Japanese girl by the name of Naru Osaka," Fairfield lied, hesitating for a split second before saying it.  
  
Thank goodness that it's nobody I know, McAllister whispered to  
himself, relieved that there would be no moral dilemma to have to sort out.  
  
"Very well, then, Fairfield, you are dismissed," Vladimir ordered,  
much to  
Fairfield's relief; he still couldn't believe that Vladimir had  
swallowed all the lies that he  
had cooked up.  
  
"So, Vladimir, do you have a plan?" Jim inquired, noticeably relieved from the pressure of a potential moral dilemma.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I do," Vladimir replied, chortling to himself. "First, we send a team of Eyes of Terra, led by Major Fairfield, to find out any weaknesses the Scouts might have, including ties of family or friendship, favored trinkets, and locations within the city that have sentimental value. Next, we send forces in to ruin the things they love, which will take most of them out of the picture due to psychological stresses and make at least one of them into a homicidal, angry-at-the-world maniac. If the one rogue elephant in the herd does not do enough damage to the Scouts' reputation, I happen to have Senshi look-alikes that will finish the job. There will be chaos in the streets as the Tokyo Police Force-and possibly the JSDF-battle with the Senshi in the streets. With this going on and with the people caught in the crossfire, there will be cries for new, stronger leadership. This is where my connections within the Japanese Socialist Party will come in. We simply handpick a candidate who is willing to run and win on a law-and-order platform and who will be willing to take orders from us and the rest should fall into place," Vladimir explained, obviously quite proud of all the planning he had done. Everything will fall into place, my friend, but not quite as you predict!  
  
"Vladimir, that is brilliant! I'm not quite sure I could've done any better myself," Jim beamed, also pleased with the results of Vladimir's work.  
  
"Now then, we will have to assemble a team, but that should not take more than a week or two," Vladimir assured Jim, with a straight posture and proud demeanor that reflected his certainty.  
  
As Vladimir plotted and planned how he would pave a clear road to Earth for his masters back on Nemesis, Fairfield came up with a plot of his own. I'll play along with what I predict Vladimir wishes to do-namely, to set up Japan as a landing pad for his extraterrestrial masters, Fairfield mused. There's no chance they'll ever connect me to his scheme, though, because of my connections with Col. Rhodes, who I am grooming to lead the Union for Terran Sovereignty, he continued to himself. Once the threat of Nemesis is dealt with, his group will be the seed of a new order-one in which Terrans reign supreme as far as their space fleets shall reach!, he thundered in his mind, chortling maniacally to himself.  
  
Just then, he heard a knock on the door. Fairfield jumped to attention, almost sure this was some superior officer, but relaxed noticeably once he got a clearer look at the person opening the door. In spite of the owl- eyed glasses and cheap three-piece suit that he wore and a hairstyle that probably resulted more from neglect, the man here commanded international respect for his work on genetic diseases and grafting technology. Now, though, he would put his knowledge to a project with more immediate military applications.  
  
"Ah, Professor Umino, you have absolutely no idea of how much of a pleasure it is to see you again!" Fairfield beamed, reflexively extending his hand in expectation of a handshake.  
  
After a quick handshake, Fairfield and Umino sat down and got straight to work on the matter at hand: "So, Maj. Fairfield, I hear you have an.interesting proposition for me. Would you care to elucidate for me what it is that you want me to do?"  
  
"As you know, it has been a longstanding goal of both myself and this prestigious organization to protect humankind from the dangers of eldritch sorcery. If we could.eliminate individuals who have a talent for such a thing from the gene pool, all of humankind would owe you a great deal-and I will give you a great deal of money for your work," Fairfield explained, fingers drumming together in anticipation.  
  
"Are you telling me that you would like me to synthesize a disease which is mild or harmless in normal humans, but is fatal to magic-adept humans, or- failing that-causes severe damage and distress to their reproductive systems?" Umino inquired, his curiosity obviously piqued by Fairfield's offer.  
  
"Yes, that's exactly right, my man! Such a disease would end the threat forever; however, there are the issues of how long the synthesis of the pathogen will take and whether I can spin this to my colleagues in particular and the public in general {do recall that the bloody Nemesians will be invading and that when they are driven back, it will doubtless be up to the UTS to restore something resembling rule of law and a republican form of government}," Fairfield agreed, grinning wildly and struggling to control his heart rate.  
  
"Normally, Major, a deal such as this would be no problem; however, I must inform you that I suspect that several friends and friends of friends of mine are the magic users identified as the Sailor Senshi," Umino stated, clearly disappointed that he could not go through with such a lucrative deal.  
  
"Well, then, I had originally planned to pay you $5 billion for your completed product, but your worries have changed things; in order to be fair to you, I'll have to pay you at least triple that," Fairfield smiled, licking his lips hungrily as he awaited Umino's agreement.  
  
"Well.I guess that's a more-than-fair deal, but you'd better be sure that no one affected by the disease is a friend of mine," Umino warned, though he had to be aware of his utterly inferior position at Fairfield's bargaining table.  
  
"I promise you that I will not regret this, Professor," Fairfield beamed, reaching out for another handshake. And neither will I, Fairfield mumbled as Umino walked out the door and to the surface. 


End file.
